Food Trend Thursday: Probiotics
In honor of this post, I thought it was just on trend to be fashionably late in posting.
Recently I have noticed there is a serious rise, craze,
trend all about bacteria. Everyone is obsessing about their microbial make up
and finding all sorts of ways to amp up their consumption of probiotics. With
claims of regulating hormones, fighting depressions, and weight loss, can you
blame them? Today’s food trend Thursday is dedicated to the large intestine
dwelling probiotics.
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Not All Bacteria Is Created Equal
There
is good and bad bacteria present in our body. There is the bad that makes us sick
and we try to keep out of our body by regular hand washing but there is also a
good bacteria that lives in our large intestine that helps a lot of body
processes. These living microorganisms are called probiotics also referred to
as active live cultures. They are found in yogurt and other fermented products
such as kimchi, kefir, and kombucha. The reside in the digestive tract and live
off of the fiber that is found in whole grains. That is also the reason that
fiber is not digested in the stomach is because they are saved if you will for
the probiotics later down the line. These probiotics help our body digest food
and help our body produce vitamins.
Pass the Lactobacillus, please!
Recently
as more individuals are putting more emphasis on healthy and the healing power
of food, these probiotics have really taken center stage. Research has been
done to monitor the effects of these probiotics the issue is the fact that there
are so many different strains of these active live cultures it is hard to find
out which ones can help which ailments. Right now, this is what we know. There
is some evidence that certain probiotics can aid in IBS symptoms. There is
another research study that stated that probiotics may be “potentially
beneficial” as an anti – inflammatory mechanism that could help those suffering
from depression that is rooted in an inflammatory response. There is said to be
a “gut-brain axis” so research is being done to see if the microbiome could
potentially be the answer to the way to experience moods, anxiety, and
depression. Further research does need to be done to make these findings
conclusive.
Hopping On the Bifidoacterium Wagon
So should you be taking
probiotics too? That is up to you. I will say that if you have recently taken
an antibiotic, you do! Antibiotics clear out our microbial community and it is
necessary to rebuild that for optimum digestion and health. In terms of
supplementing your probiotics, I don’t think it’s a bad thing but I don’t think
it’s necessary to go overboard. Include more yogurt into your diet and enjoy
some komucha. If you want to take it one step further, do your research and
contact your physician.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5319175/
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